Tyler Perry cancels stop in Jacksonville

Actor, comedian says scammers to blame

Tyler Perry fans are disappointed the comedian won't be making an appearance in Jacksonville as originally planned.

Perry, who was scheduled to visit the Veterans Memorial Arena in November as part of his "Madea Gets a Job" tour, claims scammers are what's keeping him away.

Perry vented on his blog about price gouging, telling fans, "This is so frustrating! Why are people so evil? Why can't people just get legitimate jobs and stop trying to do the wrong thing all the time. ... To all of you who have bought tickets and made plans to be there I am so sorry. I really am but my hands are tied."

"That shows his integrity," said Cedric Mitchell, a fan of Perry's.

Mitchell said he wanted to see Perry play the role made famous on screen live on stage, and he's upset, but he still supports the actor.

"Going to see Tyler Perry is like going to see the president for the first time or the last time," Mitchell said. "I mean, you know that's something that's not normal here, that's not something that you see every day."

The venue said refunds are available at point of purchase locations. Sites like Ticketmaster are already offering automatic refunds.

The Better Business Bureau says this should serve as a lesson that scammers are something everyone needs to watch out for.

"It happens every Jaguars football game and every college football game and every other football game and every other concert," said Tom Stephens, of BBB. "There's always a scalper that's trying to make some money."

Before buying anything, it's suggested ticket buyers make sure a website is secure by checking the contact address and look for known names.

"Do a 'who is' check -- and you can do that by www.whois.com on the website address -- and see who hosts it, how long it's been hosted, who owns it, etc.," Stephens said.

It's unclear if Perry will reschedule the tour in the future, but his fans in Jacksonville are hopeful he does.

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